Ready to Rally

Somewhere in the world—right now—a rally race is taking place.

A driver and co-driver have strapped themselves into a street-legal car and are trying to travel from Point A to Point B, on gravel roads cut into mountainsides, in rain or snow, in the quickest time. At timed intervals, more cars will follow the same course. The fastest wins.

Perhaps because the competition is not head-to-head, Americans have not taken to rally racing. Many other countries have, however. It is second only to Formula 1 racing in popularity among car-racing fans.

One reason rally racing is so popular is that real people can buy rally cars at local dealerships. The Subaru WRX STI, ready to rally, can be yours for $33,495. The model competed in the X Games last summer and has been rally-dominant for 15 years.

"I love this car," the young delivery boy said with a grin as he exited the WRX STI sent for a week of testing.

I smiled slightly. I knew what I was in for. My last test of one four years ago added some gray to my hair.

The basic platform for this race car is a Subaru Impreza, starting at $17,995. There’s plenty to recommend any Subaru, including the mild-mannered Impreza. Consumer Reports, for instance, rates the Subaru among the most reliable of cars. And all Subies have all-wheel drive, assuring safe handling in adverse weather or road conditions.

All are reasonably fuel-thrifty, including our racing WRX STI that returns 19 miles per gallon in the city and 25 mpg on the highway (but needs premium gasoline for its powerful, four-cylinder engine).

But while the base Impreza has a 173-horsepower engine, the WRX STI uses a turbocharger and other power-improving tricks to pump out almost 300 horsepower from the boxer engine (a flat engine design with horizontal cylinders, so opposing pistons punch toward each other, like a boxer throwing jabs).

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